The big three heat up in Aces fifth straight win
Arion Armeniakos
Host · Writer
The Las Vegas Aces’ 105-89 road win over the Portland Fire on Thursday night looked familiar in many ways.
In the franchise’s first trip to Portland since the Utah Starzz faced the Fire on Aug. 6, 2002, it was the Aces who were the hotter of the two sides behind a combined 61 points from A’ja Wilson and Chelsea Gray.
Wilson erupted for 32 points to go along with 5 rebounds and 4 assists to lead the way. She added one steal and two blocks in what was her second straight 30+ point offering — and the third of the campaign.
Gray swapped roles with Jackie Young for the night as the ‘Point Gawd’ brought the sizzle with 29 points, including nine makes from downtown (9-13 3PT) — a career-high for Gray and a single-game record for the franchise.
Gray went 10-15 from the field and added five boards and three assists. She was 6-7 from beyond the arc in the first half, helping the Aces to a 56-50 lead at the break with 18 points. Her shooting touch stayed hot after the interval.
Young proved integral to Las Vegas scoring over 100 points as a team in consecutive games in a facilitator role. She poured in 18 points and added 8 rebounds and 10 assists — flirting with a triple-double in her first game of the year with double-digit dimes.
Young has brought a spark all over the floor of late. She is averaging over six assists a game this season and is scoring 22.6 points per game on the Aces’ (9-3) current five-game win streak. The Aces are now 7-1 on the road this year and a perfect 4-0 in Commissioner’s Cup play.
“It’s nice to have Jackie, so we can get Chelsea off the ball, because she is a very good shooter,” head coach Becky Hammon said afterward. “A lot of times, the ball is in (Gray’s) hands, so it is nice for her to be able to do some of the easier work sometimes, and let Jackie set everybody up.”
The Aces boasted four starters in double figures scoring, with Stephanie Talbot adding a valuable 8 points (2-5 3PT) and 10 rebounds. NaLyssa Smith tallied a double-double (12 points, 10 rebounds).
The Fire also had four players score 10 or more points — led by Carla Leite with 18 and former Ace, Megan Gustafson, with 17. That made the game close as the Aces held a narrow 78-72 advantage going into the fourth quarter.
However, much to Hammon’s delight, the Aces were able to pull away for the win with a 27-17 run in the last 10 minutes.
It was a rare fourth quarter victory for Las Vegas. One of the X-factors was Hammon opting to have Wilson start the frame on the floor as opposed to her usual rotation, which sees the four-time MVP play the entire third quarter and then sit to begin the fourth. Hammon said she did so to help with defensive intensity, and it worked.
The Aces are very much beginning to hum on both ends, but especially on offense — largely thanks to a league-leading 25.9 points per game from Wilson.
The reigning Finals MVP is shooting 52 percent from the field and 56 percent from three on the year, in addition to collecting just under 10 rebounds per tilt. Wilson was 10-20 FG and 11-13 FT against the Fire. She made one of her two three-point attempts.
The Aces hit 19 triples to Portland’s eight as a team. Gray’s scorching season-high scoring night further demonstrated the defending champions’ versatility and the many ways in which they can hurt you.
Post-game, Wilson and Gray spoke about their connection and how it allows them to be so successful on the court. The duo has been playing together since 2021.
“I think it’s our trust,” Wilson said. That’s something we have been brewing together forever. I always talk about when I was an All-Star captain for the first time, and I drafted Chelsea as my point guard before my teammates.”
“That was foreshadowing," Gray chimed in, laughing.
“I think it’s our trust on and off the court,” Wilson continued. “We have a great friendship where we don’t take anything personal. We’re just like, ‘What are your goals and how do you want to get there?’ And that’s reciprocated. I think once you’re able to have those friendships and those real conversations, I think it makes the on-court a little easier.”
Gray’s smile was beaming from ear to ear at that point. She went on to echo Wilson’s sentiment.
“I 100 percent agree,” she said. “There is basically nothing I can’t tell (A’ja), we’re super vulnerable with each other. There is an honesty and a trust there that has built over time. And trust doesn’t come in the beginning, it comes over time, and we hold a lot of weight in our conversations and our relationships.”
